Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
cause a pack that's not dry or loose enough to absorb the manure “caps” over in high-
traffic areas (under the roosts) keeping the hens from scratching in it.
When the pack is light and well mixed, it is actively composting, reducing ammo-
nia, and producing heat. The hens love to create bowls in this warm pack to lounge
around in. We also occasionally add shavings where needed throughout the winter. In
spring, after the hens move out to the summer hoop house, we remove half the pack
and compost it further in windrows for future use on the perennial herb beds.
Winter Outdoor Access
Seasonal, carefully managed outdoor access is essential to an organic poultry system.
Winter access, however, can be problematic in some climates—useless and even
harmful if not properly managed. I believe hens are better off in a naturally lit barn
on deep litter than wallowing outside in muck. This said, I do keep a small door open
onto a large fenced paddock throughout the winter just in case they wish to go out.
They don't. As spring rolls around and they grow more apt to venture outdoors, I
monitor their access. Having the hens out in muddy conditions adds substantially to
egg-cleaning time without benefiting the hens that much. Instead, I bring them fresh
chickweed and other spring greens to eat and chunks of sod to scratch at. They will
be out on grass soon enough when the pastures start growing. No matter where you
stand on the outdoor-access question, you have to consider conditions and what is
best for your hens and for the land and groundwater affected.
Winter Egg Collection
A primary purpose for keeping the hens close to the barn during the winter is to facil-
itate frequent egg collection. Depending on the weather, we typically collect eggs
three times daily. If it is very cold in the hen house (below 10ºF) we may collect
more often, but this rarely happens since the hens, the litter pack, and the sun help
keep the house warmer than outside temperatures. We collect directly into 30-hole
plastic egg flats and store them in our egg cooler in an insulated room in the barn.
The boxes are bedded with ample softwood shavings and cleaned out every morning.
We also add a small amount of cedar shavings to help deter lice. We do not recom-
mend hardwood shavings since they can stain eggs if they become wet and the stains
cannot be removed.
Owing to cold nights in the winter some hens like to sleep in the nest boxes. We at-
tempt to remedy this by closing up the top boxes at night (they like those the best)
